Recent podcasts with Oddsen and Greg Mersonby Joeingram1, October 05
Here are the last 2 podcasts I did with HSPLOer Odd_oddsen and WSOP Main champ Greg Merson. Odds was much funnier than I expected him to be. Crashwhips from 2p2 wrote up a good summary of the episode. I will be recording this week with the WCOOP Main Event winner CrownUpGuy and long time HSNL/PLOer Alexiemartov/Magic Ninja
Highlights:
-He owns 2 houses, a house he paid 1.5million usd that he lives in, and another house he rents out apts in
-He said after realizing he was "set for life" from poker, he decided it was a bad idea to risk a downswing at nosebleed stakes, so he is now staked for 25/50+
-Skjervoy was visiting him last year + while hammered, had an accident in a sauna w/ vodka and the flames heating the sauna, and set himself on fire
-~1:05 Funny Gus Hansen / Phil Ivey Vegas story
-He is mad at Lefort I guess bc Lefort spoke so highly of Oddsen's game on an earlier CJ podcast. He says he thinks that's a big reason he stopped getting shorthanded action at high stakes + thinks it cost him 200-300k in ev. He goes on to say Lefort is very good + def top 5 in the world at hu plo
I also did one with Greg Merson who won the 2012 WSOP Main Event and is a long time reg on Pokerstars. Feedback on this one has been really great and some people commented it was a bit more serious of a tone as compared to most.
Finding Inspiration in Othersby Joeingram1, October 05
Hey guys
I've suddenly found myself feeling inspired lately and this lead me to get inspired to write about finding inspiration Make sense??
I think I have underestimated how important it is for me personally to feed off of inspiration I get from other people. This realization came to me very recently when I started hanging out more with my friend who is really into fashion, smelling good, looking good. Everyone is into smelling good and looking good for the most part right? I know I used to be this way for a good period of time but for whatever reason I have not put as much stock into it as I once did. I think the line between wanting to look/feel good and being obsessed with how you look is interesting. I know that when people used to meet me they would say that they thought I was obsessed with how I looked, saying it with a negative connotation. I think after hearing it so many times I started believing that maybe it was a negative thing to want to really look GOOD when it comes to being in shape, how you dress, tan, etc... Now I think I've come to the realization that if you have interest in attracting a higher quality of person in a potential partner (one who cares about these things for themselves) then you should should also. I'm not really sure how you can do this without almost becoming obsessed about it but I think as I get older, it becomes a bit more manageable of an emotion.
After thinking more about it, I made a facebook status update thanking 4 people who I felt like really inspired me over the last years of my life. I've always tried to take away inspiration when I meet people who have some qualities that I really admire, I try to think about how I can possibly be more that way. I'm not sure if this is how most people do it. I think the biggest initial inspiration I can remember is when I met my friend Asher while I was living in San Diego. I was into hair and how I dressed a bit up until that point of my life but after meeting him I realized how fun fashion could be, how much better you could look because of it and that I could style my hair a different way then sorta short/bit spikyish on the top. I also really admired the way he handled himself around a group of people. Up to that point I was a pretty big noob at this and really had no idea (debatably still don't) but seeing the way someone could be in a situation like that really opened my eyes that I didn't have to be such an asshole in a lot of spots. I could talk about the way the other 3 specific people I tagged impacted me if there is enough interest in reading about it.
I'm not sure if this post is more like a "hey you guys should try this" or "hey does anyone else find this happens to them." I think it is a combo of both of those ideas. I think I really forgot just how much other people could impact my own life and got away from it entirely for about a year now. I'm hoping from this point on that I can start finding it again in other people and possibly change the way I am for the better.
September was a was dramatically busier for me. The first few days were a whirlwind of drinking and socializing as students flooded back to campus and we welcomed our new grads to the program. My thesis supervisor decided now was a good time to start getting serious about me finishing my research which might have had something to do with me requesting weekly deadlines that take roughly twenty hours of work to complete. I've never slept less lately, but I've also never felt more productive.
I'm back in the gym on a regular basis and although I've always lifted to reduce stress and keep a clear head it's running that's helped me calm my mind lately. I've never much enjoyed uselessly battering my knees but I decided I wanted to improve my fitness enough to lose the tired feeling when playing intramural sports with my friends so off I went. I've mostly been working the treadmill with 20 minute uphill runs and then a five minute max incline hike/speed walk to cap it off. I've broken my run down into five minute segments and every week I'm trying to increase the difficulty until all four segments reach the higher level and then the process restarts.
I'm still pulling 30 hours a week at Public Safety doing research on a fun project for the government so that keeps me doubly busy. I really love the project and my co-workers are great so it's been a good time. And oh yeah, I guess I'm also playing some poker. I only managed 33,000 hands and +700 this month but overall that's not bad. The bankroll finished at new high of 2500 and then quickly dropped to 2300 after I played fairly poorly in the first two days of October. Most of my results I owe to my mental focus. I've been forcing myself to think only of playing mistake free sessions and quitting whenever I start to make mistakes. That may actually have something to do with less volume as well.
Goals for October:
1. Break into PLO50
2. Play 60k hand continue with "Mistake Free" focus and leave sessions when I get off track
3. Keep up with the rest of my life
Side Goal: Make time to relax! My schedule is hectic, so I need to be patient with myself and have some down time.
-30h Public Safety
-10-20h Thesis
-10h Teaching Assistantship
-21h Poker is a lot for every week
-5-7h Gym
-Xh Girls + Friendships + Socializing
Also I have a deal to offer if anyone is interested. I'm at the point where I have no doubt I beat PLO25 consistently when I'm on my A-Game. I finally feel that measure of control. That being said I'm a BR nit and I realize the swings of PLO require a powerful bankroll to maintain sanity. I'm at BR2300 and will be taking a shot at PLO50 when I reach 2750. However, if anyone out there on LP wishes to take my BR to BR5000 today I'm willing to make a deal. I'm already confident I can beat PLO50 without too much difficulty. I've played there before and it's not much different than PLO25. The regs aren't any better and the fish are the same.
I'm largely putting this offer out there because I want to get to Supernova ASAP. I have 70k FPP's currently and I can't spend them on a $1600 without the status. Especially if Pokerstars does something bonkers like change all the VIP shit come January 1st.
So here it is:
You give me BR5000. The situation is a "stake" I guess as is the common expression.
I will give you 50% of my profits including bonuses (minus the 70k FPPs on the $1600 bonus value scale that I currently possess)
I will do this until you have made $10,000 in profit
So basically you risk $2,500 to likely recoup $12,500.
We can:
-Skype whenever you would like to discuss hands/how things are going
-Receive graphs/stats on a weekly or monthly basis
-Receive any particular search parameter from my database so you can make sure I'm playing my A-Game if you so choose
My preference is that the player be a 100 or 200PLO player if possible. This is simply because we're more likely to be successful and you'll have incentive to give me advice on my game. Doesn't really matter though, beggars can't be choosers. I don't mind if nobody takes me up on this. It's just a way for me to accelerate my progress at the cost of some profits.
Meh.. not as much volume as I hoped for. but this is only 3 weeks. Nice freeroll for Lemon, not making the 50k hands minimum because I forgot my token at home when visiting family. zzzz
Glad I can still win at this game, tho I must have been running good because I spew money like crazy sometimes. For some odd reason, I always tilt the most during the first 30-40min of my sessions. I suppose I'll play less talbes during the start of my sessions (from 12, to 9).. see if that helps.
One thing I noticed since I'm back is, seat scripters! seat scripters everywhere! It's alot tougher now to find open seats next to fish. I considered getting one myself, and even tried a few, but have yet to find a good one. Most are full of bugs, too slow, and OVERPRICED ($1000, or even a % of your expected winnings.......) Anyways.. I don't need one for now.
Poker goals for next month;
60k hands minimum (bumping the volume up every month)
Play less tables during the start of my sessions
Watch a few RIO videos / per week (recommendations anyone?)
Learn PLO when bored of my regular game
Tweak my HUD (this is what I have always used + Show Spoiler +
last night i sleep 13 hours, get up for (a few) hours and load up some tournaments. i have about 25 mtts going when all the sudden i go from energy 100% to energy 1-5%. i was drinkin orange crush like it goes out of style. then break hit, and i woke up 3-4 hours later, $1001 poorer than i already fucking am.
Desiring to be a Professional Poker Player?by Kimstewa, September 26
Becoming a professional poker player is difficult. Not only do you have to be good at the game you have to have a good business head. To that end you have to learn to treat your beloved card game as a business, rather than a pastime which in the past you have been good at.
If you are thinking about becoming a pro read this first.
Business Element
Like most businesses there will be good times and bad times. You must be prepared for the latter and use the former to offset your losses. Professional poker playing also needs capital like any other business, and for poker this means having a substantial bank roll.
To that end you must try and work out how much you will need to maintain a steady income from playing poker. A highly competitive profession if ever there was one. From the income figure you can estimate how much you will need to bankroll your career as a pro player.
Every player has a severe losing streak no matter how good they are. You must be able to deal with this financially.
You are going to be self employed. This is scary and hard at the best of times, and rather than making a sale, you are going to have to win a considerable amount of money to make your business thrive.
Evaluate Evaluate
To become a pro and a better pro, you have to be able to honestly evaluate your play style after every game. Ideally, having an honest opinion from someone you trust is best. A fresh, unbiased pair of eyes will be able to tell you if you are leaking too many tells, if your bluff was too obvious, and generally pick up on your weaknesses. In essence you must be able to take criticism and be honest with yourself to know when your big loss was down to you. All of this will improve you as a player.
As a professional poker player constant improvement is needed. Otherwise it is a long walk to the poor house and back into mainstream work.
The evaluation of your poker play should have already started. If you can find a mentor or at least someone you trust who understand the game, so much the better. Many players record their games in the form of notes. How much they staked, how much they won, nearly every statistic you can think of. They then refer to them constantly.
Why?
Many professionals started our as good amateur players and realised that playing a game they love for a living would be a good way to live. The chances are you are of the same mindset. On the surface there is edginess to the lifestyle that is very appealing. A little like being a spy. The reality is however, that it is a business and a job. In ten years time will you enjoy the game so much?
You may not ever view the game again like you do at the moment. A point to ponder perhaps?
Social Life
Once you embark on being a pro your social life will be centred on poker. Poker will dominate: Your friends will be poker players, your partner will be from a poker background, and even your pets will be able to shuffle cards. You will study poker when you are not playing it, and your maths will improve.
This is an aspect you need to think about to become a professional. Are you prepared for the change and sacrifice?
Percentages
If you have not worked it out already, you are going to have look at poker as a business. This means working out percentages to the nth degree and then perform in tournaments. You will start to think of the game statistically and indeed start to study your own game in the same terms. This is common to most gambling.
Summing up
A career in poker is hard. Make no mistake big losses and incredible lows are coming your way. There will be times when you wonder why you thought it was a good idea.
With a clear steady mind however, a good business head, and a mentor or friend who is willing to help you, you might just make it.
What are some hobbies or useful/fun skills to get into?
I'm trying to rid myself of bad habits. I realize I spend a huge chunk of my time playing league of legends and that shit is just a waste of life. I don't even have fun playing. What are some things you guys do that you couldn't see yourself without?
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